Why some great releases go out of print, makes no sense to this listener. Metal Church’s fifth CD, The Human Factor, featuring ex-Heretic vocalist, Mike Howe is easily my favorite by the band.

Mike Howe sings with an angry passion that would make Dave Mustaine proud. The song writing on this disc is way above average. Even though guitarist, Kurt Vanderhoof didn’t play on the record, he left his mark as the chief songwriter. The songs tackle the political and social issues of the day, including music, poverty, activists, censorhip, child endangerment and more. One look at the lyric sheet, and you will be amazed at the writing on this disc.

Everything on this record works for me. Great vocals, kill guitar work, an excellent rhythm section and good songs. The music is heavy but it has a killer groove, that will appeal to a lot of metal fans.

The best cuts on this record are Human Factor, Date With Poverty, Final Word, and In Harm’s Way. Even though these songs are the stand out tracks, I like ever song on this disc. In fact, I love this album every bit as much as the day when I picked it back up in 1991.

Sadly, this album is out of print, but copies of it show up on Ebay and Amazon.com from time to time. If you can find a copy of the Human Factor, grab it. You won’t be disappointed.